12-6 elbow

A 12-6 elbow, referred to in commentary as a "twelve to six elbow" and officially "downward elbow strikes", is a strike used in the combat sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). The name of the 12-6 elbow is based on the concept of a clock on the wall with the bringing of an elbow from straight up (12 o'clock) to straight down (6 o'clock).

12-6 elbow strikes are illegal under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, defined as "striking downwards using the point of the elbow".[1] Such bans were justified for medical and safety reasons, due to the possibility of serious injuries to opponents that could result from their use.

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The most commonly accepted definition of a 12-6 elbow was originally based on a principle by referee John McCarthy of a clock on the wall. This came about after it was felt that the official definition of the foul was too broad. A 12-6 elbow was defined as bringing the elbow from "twelve o'clock" to "six o'clock", which is where the name comes from. Similar elbow movements from a fighter on their back does not count as a 12-6 elbow, because as explained by McCarthy, "the clock doesn't move".[2] McCarthy's definition became accepted as the official definition of 12-6 elbows under the Unified Rules and MMA referees were encouraged to use this definition when making judgments on elbow strikes.[3]

Generally for usage of 12-6 elbows, the fight is stopped and fighters are given a warning.[4] However, there have been occasions where points have been deducted or the fighter using that strike in competition has been disqualified due to the move incapacitating fighters.[5] In 2009, Matt Hamill defeated Jon Jones by disqualification due to Jones using 12-6 elbows. Hamill said that he was unable to defend against the elbows.[5]

Before 2000, MMA had a number of different rule sets, with each one differing in ruling on downward elbow strikes (12-6 elbows). In UFC 1, the first UFC event where there were very few rules, Kevin Rosier used 12-6 elbows on Zane Frazier.[6] In 2000, the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were drawn up to try to make the sport more mainstream.[7] The meeting consisted of representatives of a number of major MMA organisations including Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pride Fighting Championships and International Fighting Championships (IFC) as well as doctors and referees in New Jersey, United States. In the meeting, doctors raised concerns about 12-6 elbows after seeing an IFC match where 12-6 elbows were used to the back of a fighter's head. One doctor argued that they could be life-threatening, and refused to sanction any set of rules that didn't prohibit them.[3]

A 12-6 elbow being used on bricks

McCarthy argued that the rules already prohibited strikes to the back of the head and questioned if it was just the 12-6 elbow strike that was the problem. Following this discussion, Nick Lembo wrote the Unified Rules, including a rule prohibiting downward elbow strikes. McCarthy felt that Lembo wrote the rule relating to downward elbow strikes "poorly" as he felt the definition was broad and left the rule open to interpretation.[1] Pride eventually did not adopt the Unified Rules; however, their ruleset prohibited any elbow strikes to the head.[8] Eventually the rule on 12-6 elbows meant that very few fighters attempted them, which could also be attributed to the fact that it is difficult for fighters to get into a position where they could use them.[9]

The primary justification for banning 12-6 strikes was the damage that could result from such a strike on the orbital bone, and the potential for spinal injuries if 12-6 elbows were used in certain positions, due to size differences between fighters. This was before weight classes were standardised.[2] There was a popular story, often repeated by Joe Rogan in UFC commentary, that the 12-6 elbows were banned because representatives of Athletic Commissions had seen traditional martial artists breaking hard objects with downward elbow strikes and felt that those strikes could be lethal and banned them. However Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission dismissed this as being "revisionist history".[1]

In 2006, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) held a committee meeting to revise the Unified Rules. During it, Kizer and Lembo proposed altering the rule on downward elbow strikes to permit 12-6 elbows to anywhere except the head of a downed opponent. However, the proposal was strongly rejected by doctors on the committee on the grounds that 12-6 elbows could still cause serious injury, even when not done on the head.[1] The ABC, despite endorsing the Unified Rules, does not have statutory authority over the individual state athletic commissions in the United States though governs through influence. As a result, in some states such as Mississippi, 12-6 elbows are permitted in MMA fights. As a result, a commission was set up by ABC to look at the regional MMA rule variations, including 12-6 elbows, to standardise MMA in the United States.[10]

The 12-6 elbow has often been criticized for its brutality, however, the rules prohibiting them have also been criticized. In particular, it has been argued that the term "downward elbow strikes" is too strict, as it only applies to straight motions and does not make elbows on an arc illegal.[3]Matt Hume, chief referee of the One Fighting Championship, explained that while 12-6 elbows were illegal, "if you change the time to 11:59, it is no longer illegal." Hume felt that the authors of the Unified Rules did not have an understanding of MMA,[11] with McCarthy affirming that view by stating that Lembo "wasn't a big MMA guy at the time".[1] Hume also argued that the rule meant that other elbow strikes that could gain more velocity than 12-6 elbows were legal yet were hitting with the same point of the elbow.[11]

Because of the initially broad definition of 12-6 elbows in the Unified Rules, referees often had differences in interpretation of what was classed as one. Referee Herb Dean differed from McCarthy's definition and argued that elbow strikes parallel with the floor in side control (sometimes called 9-3 elbows) were classed as 12-6 elbows, as he considered 12-6 elbows as being based on where the fighter throwing them was positioned.[1]

1.
Mixed martial arts
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Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows both striking and grappling, both standing and on the ground, using techniques from other combat sports and martial arts. The first documented use of the mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993. The term gained popularity when newfullcontact. com, then one of the largest websites covering the sport, the question of who actually coined the term is subject to debate. During the early 20th century, various mixed-style contests took place throughout Japan, in 1980 CV Productions, Inc. created the first regulated MMA league in the United States, named Tough Guy Contest, later renamed Battle of the Superfighters. The company sanctioned ten tournaments in Pennsylvania, however, in 1983 the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill prohibiting the sport. In 1993, the Gracie family brought vale tudo, developed in Brazil from the 1920s, later, individual fighters employed multiple martial arts into their style. MMA promoters were pressured to adopt additional rules to increase safety, to comply with sport regulations. Following these changes, the sport has increased popularity with a pay-per-view business that rivals boxing. In Ancient Greece there was a sport called pankration, which featured a combination of grappling and striking skills similar to found in modern MMA. Pankration was formed by a combination of the already established wrestling and boxing traditions and, in Olympic terms, All strikes and holds were allowed with the exception of biting and gouging, which were banned. Fighters, also known as pankratists, fought until a fighter submitted, according to E. Norman Gardiner, No branch of athletics was more popular than the pankration. From its origins in Ancient Greece, pankration was later passed on to the Romans, the mid nineteenth century saw the prominence of the new sport savate in the combat sports circle. At that time, French fighters wanted to test out the sport against the traditional styles of its time. However, the English team still won the four other match-ups during the contest, since then other similar contest also occurred by the late 19th to mid-20th century between French Savateurs and other combat styles. The next publicized encounter occurred in the late 1890s when future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons took on European Greco-Roman Wrestling champion Ernest Roeber. In September 1901, Frank Paddy Slavin, who had been a contender for Sullivans boxing title, knocked out future world wrestling champion Frank Gotch in Dawson City, Canada. The judo-practitioner Ren-nierand who gained fame after defeating George Dubois, would again in another similar contest against Ukrainian wrestler Ivan Poddubny. Another early example of mixed martial arts was Bartitsu, which Edward William Barton-Wright founded in London in 1899, merikan contests were fought under a variety of rules, including points decision, best of three throws or knockdowns, and victory via knockout or submission

2.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship is an American mixed martial arts promotion company, a subsidiary of the parent company William Morris Endeavor, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the largest MMA promoter in the world and features most of the fighters in the sport. Based in the United States, the UFC produces events worldwide that showcase ten weight divisions, the UFC has held over 300 events to date. Dana White serves as the president of the UFC, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held on November 12,1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. In 2016, it was sold to William Morris Endeavor for $4 billion, MMA journalists and fans have criticized the UFC for putting on too many shows and thus diluting the quality of their product. Art Davie proposed to John Milius and Rorion Gracie an eight-man single-elimination tournament called War of the Worlds, Milius, a noted film director and screenwriter, as well as a Gracie student, agreed to act as the events creative director. Davie drafted the plan and twenty-eight investors contributed the initial capital to start WOW Promotions with the intent to develop the tournament into a television franchise. In 1993, WOW Promotions sought a partner and approached pay-per-view producers TVKO, SET. SEG contacted video and film art director Jason Cusson to design the trademarked Octagon, Cusson remained the Production Designer through UFC27. SEG devised the name for the show as The Ultimate Fighting Championship, WOW Promotions and SEG produced the first event, later called UFC1, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 12,1993. Art Davie functioned as the booker and matchmaker. The show proposed to find an answer for sports fans questions such as, as with most martial arts at the time, fighters typically had skills in just one discipline and had little experience against opponents with different skills. The show proved successful with 86,592 television subscribers on pay-per-view. Its disputed whether the intended for the event to become a precursor to a series of future events. That show was supposed to be a one-off, eventual UFC president Dana White said. It did so well on pay-per-view they decided to do another, never in a million years did these guys think they were creating a sport. Art Davie, in his 2014 book Is This Legal, an account of the creation of the first UFC event, disputes the perception that the UFC was seen by WOW Promotions and SEG as a one-off, since SEG offered a five-year joint development deal to WOW. He says, Clearly, both Campbell and Meyrowitz shared my unwavering belief that War of the Worlds would be a series of fighting tournaments—a franchise

3.
New Jersey
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New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state but the 11th-most populous and the most densely populated of the 50 United States. New Jersey lies entirely within the statistical areas of New York City. New Jersey was inhabited by Native Americans for more than 2,800 years, in the early 17th century, the Dutch and the Swedes made the first European settlements. New Jersey was the site of decisive battles during the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century. In the 19th century, factories in cities such as Camden, Paterson, Newark, Trenton, around 180 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period, New Jersey bordered North Africa. The pressure of the collision between North America and Africa gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains, around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age resulted in glaciers that reached New Jersey. As the glaciers retreated, they left behind Lake Passaic, as well as rivers, swamps. New Jersey was originally settled by Native Americans, with the Lenni-Lenape being dominant at the time of contact, scheyichbi is the Lenape name for the land that is now New Jersey. The Lenape society was divided into clans that were based upon common female ancestors. These clans were organized into three distinct phratries identified by their animal sign, Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf and they first encountered the Dutch in the early 17th century, and their primary relationship with the Europeans was through fur trade. The Dutch became the first Europeans to lay claim to lands in New Jersey, the Dutch colony of New Netherland consisted of parts of modern Middle Atlantic states. Although the European principle of ownership was not recognized by the Lenape. The first to do so was Michiel Pauw who established a patronship called Pavonia in 1630 along the North River which eventually became the Bergen, peter Minuits purchase of lands along the Delaware River established the colony of New Sweden. During the English Civil War, the Channel Island of Jersey remained loyal to the British Crown and it was from the Royal Square in St. Helier that Charles II of England was proclaimed King in 1649, following the execution of his father, Charles I. The North American lands were divided by Charles II, who gave his brother, the Duke of York, the region between New England and Maryland as a proprietary colony. James then granted the land between the Hudson River and the Delaware River to two friends who had remained loyal through the English Civil War, Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton, the area was named the Province of New Jersey. Since the states inception, New Jersey has been characterized by ethnic, New England Congregationalists settled alongside Scots Presbyterians and Dutch Reformed migrants

4.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

5.
Mississippi
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Mississippi /ˌmɪsᵻˈsɪpi/ is a state in the southern region of the United States, with part of its southern border formed by the Gulf of Mexico. Its western border is formed by the Mississippi River, the state has a population of approximately 3 million. It is the 32nd most extensive and the 32nd most populous of the 50 United States, located in the center of the state, Jackson is the state capital and largest city, with a population of approximately 175,000 people. The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area, before the American Civil War, most development in the state was along riverfronts, where slaves worked on cotton plantations. After the war, the bottomlands to the interior were cleared, by the end of the 19th century, African Americans made up two-thirds of the Deltas property owners, but timber and railroad companies acquired much of the land after a financial crisis. Clearing altered the Deltas ecology, increasing the severity of flooding along the Mississippi, much land is now held by agribusinesses. The states catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed in the United States, since the 1930s and the Great Migration, Mississippi has been majority white, albeit with the highest percentage of black residents of any U. S. state. From the early 19th century to the 1930s, its residents were mostly black, whites retained political power through Jim Crow laws. In 2010, 37% of Mississippians were African Americans, the highest percentage of African Americans in any U. S. state, since gaining enforcement of their voting franchise in the late 1960s, most African Americans support Democratic candidates in local, state and national elections. Conservative whites have shifted to the Republican Party, African Americans are a majority in many counties of the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta, an area of historic settlement during the plantation era. Since 2011 Mississippi has been ranked as the most religious state in the country, the states name is derived from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary. Settlers named it after the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi, in addition to its namesake, major rivers in Mississippi include the Big Black River, the Pearl River, the Yazoo River, the Pascagoula River, and the Tombigbee River. Major lakes include Ross Barnett Reservoir, Arkabutla Lake, Sardis Lake, Mississippi is entirely composed of lowlands, the highest point being Woodall Mountain, in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains,807 feet above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Gulf coast, the states mean elevation is 300 feet above sea level. Most of Mississippi is part of the East Gulf Coastal Plain, the coastal plain is generally composed of low hills, such as the Pine Hills in the south and the North Central Hills. The Pontotoc Ridge and the Fall Line Hills in the northeast have somewhat higher elevations, yellow-brown loess soil is found in the western parts of the state. The northeast is a region of black earth that extends into the Alabama Black Belt. The coastline includes large bays at Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, the northwest remainder of the state consists of the Mississippi Delta, a section of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain

6.
Combat sport
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A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport with one-on-one combat. Determining the winner depends on the contests rules. In many fighting sports, a contestant wins by scoring points than the opponent or by disabling the opponent. Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, folk wrestling exists in many forms and in most cultures, and can be considered a cultural universal. The Ancient Olympic Games were largely composed of sports that tested skills related to combat, such as armored foot races, boxing, wrestling, pankration and chariot racing, Combat sports are first recorded during the Olympic games of 648 B. C. with pankration. Pankration allowed competitors to use all striking and grappling techniques, the only rules for this sport in its origin were no biting and no eye gouging. A winner was decided by submission, unconsciousness, or even death of an opponent and it is a common occurrence for matches to last for hours. Pankration grew in popularity during the Hellenic Period, matches were in small square arenas to promote engagement. This tradition of sports was taken even further by the Romans with gladiators who would fight with weapons. Through the Middle ages and Renaissance the tournament became popular, with jousting as a main event, while the tournament was popular amongst aristocrats, combative sports were practiced by all levels of society. The German school of medieval martial arts distinguished sportive combat from serious combat. In the German Renaissance, sportive combat competitions were known as Fechtschulen, out of these Prize Playing events developed the English boxing of the 18th century, which evolved into modern boxing with the introduction of the Marquess of Queensberry rules in 1867. Amateur boxing was part of the modern Olympic Games since their introduction in 1904, professional boxing became popular in the United States in the 1920s and experienced a golden age after World War II. The creation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is attributed to the Gracie family of Brazil in 1925 after Asian martial arts were introduced to Brazil, vale-tudo, wrestling, muay thai kickboxing and luta livre gained popularity. Modern Muay Thai was developed in the 1920s to 1930s, Sambo was introduced in the Soviet Union. Modern Taekwondo also emerged after the Japanese occupation of Korea and became an Olympic sport in 2000, sanshou as part of modern wush was developed in the Peoples Republic of China since the 1950s. Kickboxing and full contact karate were developed in the 1960s and became popular in Japan, Modern Mixed Martial Arts developed out of the interconnected subcultures of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and shoot wrestling. It was introduced in Japan in the form of Shooto in 1985, unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were introduced in 2000, and the sport experienced a peak of popularity in the 2000s

7.
Pride Fighting Championships
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Pride Fighting Championships was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company founded by Nobuyuki Sakakibara and Nobuhiko Takada. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11,1997, Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide. For ten years PRIDE was one of the most popular MMA organizations in the world, in March 2007, Dream Stage Entertainment sold Pride to Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, co-owners of Zuffa, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While remaining as separate entities with separate managements, the two promotions were set to cooperate in a manner akin to the AFL-NFL merger. However, such an arrangement did not materialize, and in October 2007, Pride Worldwides Japanese staff was laid off, as a result, many of the Pride staff left to form a new organization alongside K-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group. That new organization, founded in February 2008, was named Dream, in 2015, Prides co-founder and former president Nobuyuki Sakakibara established Rizin Fighting Federation in Japan with the same philosophy and ambition as for the defunct Pride organization. The event, held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11,1997, the success of the first event enabled its promoters to hold a regular series of mixed martial arts events, and a year later in 1998, to promote a rematch between Takada and Gracie. With K-1 enjoying popularity in Japan, Pride began to compete with monthly showings on Fuji Television, the series was taken over by the DSE after the dissolvement of the KRS following the fourth event and it was accordingly renamed as the Pride Fighting Championships. In 2000, Pride hosted the first Pride Grand Prix, a two-part openweight tournament held to find the worlds best fighter. The tournament was held over the course of two events, with sixteen fighters competing in a round and the eight winners returning three months later for the final round. In August 2002, Pride teamed up with Japans leading kickboxing and fight promotion, K-1, and held the worlds biggest fight event, Shockwave, which attracted over 71,000 fans. Speculation loomed whether this could possibly be the reason, as trouble with tax authorities. Nobuyuki Sakakibara later assumed the presidency, in 2003 Pride introduced the Bushido series of events, which focused mainly, but not exclusively, on the lighter weight classes of lightweights and welterweights. Also in 2003, Pride returned to the tournament format, with a grand prix spanning two events, Pride Total Elimination 2003 and Final Conflict 2003. The format was expanded to three events in 2004, adding Critical Countdown 2004 as the second round, Pride would go on to hold annual tournaments, a heavyweight tournament in 2004, a middleweight in 2005, and an openweight in 2006. This statement was due to the failure of previous attempts between Zuffa and DSE to organize a fighter exchange agreement. On June 5,2006, the Fuji Network announced that they were terminating their contract with Pride Fighting Championships effective immediately due to a breach of contract by DSE. This left Pride with only SKY PerfecTV, a carrier, as a television outlet in Japan

8.
Side control
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The top combatant is referred to as having side control, and is in a stable position, with the other combatant pinned beneath him or her. From there the top combatant can proceed with elbows, knees, various submissions, the kata gatame is a pinning hold where the opponent is hugged around the head, with one of the opponents arms pinned against his or her neck. It can be done from kesa-gatame in response to an escape attempt, during which the arm is pinned against his or her neck. The kata-gatame is often seen as a chokehold, since it is easy to compress the neck from the hold by squeezing. Transitions and submission holds are comparatively difficult to perform effectively from this position and this hold is similar to the kesa-gatame, except that instead of encircling the head, the opponents arm is encircled. Kodokan Judo also classifies the commonly used techniques ushiro-kesa-gatame and makura-kesa-gatame as kuzure-kesa-gatame, twister side control is a variation of traditional side control. A key component to twister side control is keeping your hip off the ground and this will leave you with a free hand that you can use to block the opponents legs from attacking or keep posture. Twister side control is known as a position which favors attacking the legs. However, the body can be attacked with submissions such as the baby arm, kimura, darce. In addition, the transition to mount is an extremely high percentage pass. Grappling Back mount Guard Half guard Knee-on-stomach Mount North-south position General

9.
Matt Hamill
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Matthew Stanley Hamill is a deaf American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, Hamill also has a silver medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling and a gold medal in Freestyle Wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics. He is the man to defeat Jon Jones, albeit by disqualification due to Jones illegal elbows. He was introduced to wrestling by his stepfather John Rich, who was the wrestling coach at Loveland High School. Hamill attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for 3 years transferring there after a year at Purdue University, Hamill was on The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality television show, training under former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz in the 205 lb weight class. He won a fight against Mike Nickels via decision, but was unable to continue into the semi-finals due to injuries. On June 24,2006, Hamill fought fellow contestant Jesse Forbes at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale on Spike TV and won via knockout. Hamill faced The Ultimate Fighter 2s Seth Petruzelli in a Fight of The Night performance he won via decision at Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3. Judges scored the bout 29–28, 30–27 and 29–28 for Hamill, Hamill then fought Rex Holman at UFC68, The Uprising where he won by TKO in the first round. Hamill fought fellow TUF3 alumni Michael Bisping at UFC75 in London, England on September 8,2007, the decision was considered controversial by many, in large part because the fight was held in England, Bispings home country. However, the two American judges ringside awarded the victory to Bisping, with the lone British judge scoring the fight for Hamill, a rematch was scheduled for UFC78, but due to knee surgery, Hamill withdrew. A rematch since became unlikely because Bisping subsequently dropped down to the Middleweight division after losing a decision to Rashad Evans. Hamill next fought Tim Boetsch on April 3,2008 whom he defeated in the round by TKO. During the fight, Hamill suffered a badly split bottom lip due to a knee strike, Hamill then went on to fight at UFC88 against former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin as the co-main event. He lost the fight by TKO after a kick to the liver at 0,39 of the third round, at UFC92, Hamill defeated Reese Andy in the second round by TKO due to strikes. His next fight was scheduled to be Brandon Vera at UFC102, coming off of knee surgery, Hamill became sick. Hamill faced off against undefeated prospect Jon Jones on December 5,2009 at The Ultimate Fighter, Heavyweights Finale, the unified rules of mixed martial arts prohibit downward elbow strikes, and Jones was initially only penalized a point from the round. However, because Hamill could not continue due to a dislocated shoulder, consequently, the tape was reviewed and showed that Jones elbows further damaged Hamills already bloody and lacerated nose

10.
Joe Rogan
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Joseph James Joe Rogan is an American stand-up comedian, color commentator, television host, actor, podcast host, and retired martial artist. He developed an interest in arts as a teenager and learned karate, kickboxing, and taekwondo, in which he became a black belt and a four-time state champion. A fan of comedy since his youth, Rogan began a career in stand-up in August 1988 in the Boston area and he moved to New York City two years later. In 1997, he started working for the Ultimate Fighting Championship as an interviewer and has been a commentator for many of its pay-per-view events. Rogan released his first comedy special in 2000, and has produced seven other specials. From 2001, he gained exposure as the host of several television shows, including Fear Factor, The Man Show. Rogan launched his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience in 2009 and it has one of the most popular podcasts available, in October 2015. Rogan is also known as an advocate of the legalization of cannabis, hunting, Joseph James Rogan was born on August 11,1967, in Newark, New Jersey, the place where his grandfather moved his family in the 1940s. He is of one quarter Irish and three quarters Italian descent and his father, Joseph, worked as a police officer in Newark and his mother a free spirit. At five years of age, Rogans parents divorced, and his father has not been in contact with him since he was seven. Rogan said of his father, All I remember of my dad are these brief, nothing bad ever really happened to me I dont hate the guy. At seven, Rogan and the moved to San Francisco, California, followed by another move when he was 11 to Gainesville. They settled in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts, where Rogan attended Newton South High School and graduated from in 1985. Rogan participated in Little League Baseball but developed an interest in arts in his early teens as it was really the first thing that ever gave me hope that I wasnt going to be a loser. So I really, really gravitated toward it, at fourteen, he took up karate and began to compete in taekwondo competitions, one time his teacher made Rogan, then a blue-belt, fight with black-belt students. At nineteen, he won a US Open Championship tournament as a lightweight. He was a state champion for four consecutive years in Massachusetts. Rogan also practiced amateur kickboxing, and held a 2–1 record, Rogan retired from competition at 21 as he began to suffer from frequent headaches and feared worse injuries. He attended University of Massachusetts Boston but found it pointless and dropped out before he could graduate, Rogan had no intentions of being a professional stand-up comedian and initially considered a career in kickboxing

11.
John McCarthy (referee)
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John Michael McCarthy is an American mixed martial arts referee, perhaps best known for his officiating of numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship dating back to UFC2. He has also officiated bouts in Bellator, and is a boxing referee. In February 2015, Big John & Bellator commentator Sean Wheelock launched their new weekly podcast, in 1985, McCarthy became a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department following his father Ronald, who worked as a police officer for thirty years. In August 1993, McCarthy was awarded his Tactics & Self-Defense Instructor Certification by the LAPD, the nickname of Big John came about because of his size and stature. He stands 64 and weighs 260 lb, making him larger than the majority of the athletes over whom he presides, according to a UFC interview, the nickname was given to him by UFC co-founder and promoter Art Davie. McCarthy recalls that the nickname began when he forcibly lifted Davie off the ground, McCarthy was the most senior referee in the UFC and is well known for his delivery of Lets Get It On. A catchphrase created by boxing referee Mills Lane and his 535th bout was the main event at The Ultimate Fighter, Team Hughes vs. Team Serra finale in Las Vegas, Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida. McCarthy briefly retired after this bout to pursue a career as a commentator for The Fight Network but returned to officiating just a year later. Since his return, McCarthy has refereed for promotions all over the globe including the UFC, K-1, Strikeforce, Affliction, Bellator, King of the Cage and his connection to the UFC was attributed to his relationship with the Gracie family, particularly Rorion Gracie. He debuted at UFC2, No Way Out in 1994, although first disfavored by UFC executives, after UFC2 McCarthy insisted on referee stoppages when a fighter cannot intelligently defend himself. On December 31,2004, McCarthy served as the referee for a fight held on the K-1 Dynamite, card at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan between MMA legend Royce Gracie and Sumo legend-turned-fighter Akebono Taro. On December 12,2015, McCarthy served as the referee for UFC194 between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo, which became the shortest title bout in UFC history, in September 2006, John McCarthy opened his first MMA school in Valencia, CA. This 29, 000-square-foot gym was one of the largest MMA schools in California, McCarthy sold the school in December 2015. In January 2007, he was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, currently, McCarthy lives in Los Angeles with his wife Elaine. They have three children, Ronald II, daughter, Britney Shae and John Junior. In early 2008, McCarthy started a referee and judging course for MMA officials called COMMAND, on September 1,2011, McCarthys autobiography titled Lets Get It On - The Making of MMA and its Ultimate Referee was released. McCarthy appeared with retired MMA fighter Bas Rutten in New Found Glorys video Listen to Your Friends, the music video, which was shot on November 5,2008 in Los Angeles, California, premiered on March 9,2009. He has also appeared on Fight Science super cops on national geographic, McCarthy also appeared in the TV series Friends, season 3 episode 24 The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion where he plays the referee of a UFC match between Tank Abbott and Jon Favreau

12.
Jon Jones
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He is currently serving a one-year suspension. Jones won the heavyweight title in March 2011 at the age of 23. He holds many UFC records in the heavyweight division, including most wins, most successful and consecutive title defenses, longest win streak. Outside of the ring, Jones has been involved in several controversies, in April 2015, Jones was stripped of his title and was removed from the official rankings following his arrest on felony hit-and-run charges. Before beginning his MMA career, Jones was a high school wrestler. He also played football as a lineman, but due to his slight frame. He won a national JUCO championship at Iowa Central Community College, after transferring to Morrisville State College he decided to drop out of college, where he was studying Criminal Justice, to begin his MMA career. Jones made his professional MMA debut in April 2008 and he amassed an undefeated record of 6–0 over a period of three months, finishing all of his opponents. This brought him to the attention of the UFC, who asked him to take a fight as a replacement on a two-week notice in July 2008. In his last bout before signing with the UFC, Jones defeated Moyses Gabin at BCX5 for the USKBA Light Heavyweight Championship and he won the fight via TKO in the second round. Joness UFC debut came against Andre Gusmão at UFC87 on August 9,2008, Jones took the fight on two weeks notice as a late replacement for Tomasz Drwal. He put on a performance, using takedowns and displaying unorthodox striking, such as spinning elbows. Jones took a decision victory. In his second fight, Jones fought veteran Stephan Bonnar at UFC94 on January 31,2009, Jones showed superior wrestling abilities and executed strong takedowns and powerful throws including a suplex. Again showing unorthodox striking as he had in his debut, Jones secured one of Bonnars legs, although he appeared to tire in the third round, Jones held on to win another unanimous decision victory. Jones third fight was against Jake OBrien at UFC100 on July 11,2009, Jones controlled the majority of the fight by stuffing takedown attempts from his opponent. Jones stayed on the outside, exercising his reach advantage and finding his range toward the end of the first round with his jab and high. Halfway through the round, Jones ducked and spun to deliver another one of his signature back-elbows that struck the top of OBriens head

''The Pancrastinae'': A statue portraying the pancratium, an event showcased at the Roman Colosseum. Even as late as the Early Middle Ages, statues were put up in Rome and other cities to honour remarkable pankratiasts. This statue, now part of the Uffizi collection, is a Roman copy of a lost Greek original, circa 3rd century BC.

A scene of Ancient Greek pankratiasts fighting. Originally found on a Panathenaic amphora, Lamberg Collection.

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a competitive contact sport with one-on-one combat. Determining the winner …

Boxing is a common fighting sport

A photo of Connor McGregor, Jose Aldo and Dana White at a press conference for the fight between McGregor and Aldo. This shows the two fighters posing for media, increasing revenue and interest in the fight.